Di StittFounder of One Colour and Australian and New Zealand distributor for Kenana Knitters via Kenana Down UnderPhoto Source: One Colour – Di Stitt with Milka

“I didn’t set out for Africa. The place kinda picks you.

Back in the early 2000s, I became increasingly concerned over extreme poverty that I believed could be tackled through trade, not just aid. The statistics in 2005 were horrific; 1.4 billion trapped in extreme poverty. As my boys were going to school, I found myself with more time, and it dawned on me not to waste what time we have. We enjoyed a great and healthy lifestyle. We were educated. We need so little effort to make life easy.

I found out about fair trade through some key individuals. It fitted my beliefs of ‘trade, not aid’. I have a friend who buys from the Oxfam catalogue. She showed me what buying from people who made the products was like, and I found this to be a fascinating concept. Then there was a couple running Tribes and Nation, Grant and Mignonne, whom I met at a conference. They’d returned from living in Tanzania, and were big advocates for fair trade. The encounter gave me more ‘Aha’ moments, with stories of unconceivable poverty due to unfair trade.

I decided there and then that if I wanted to make a difference, I would tackle poverty through business and trade. I thought a great way to start was in the fashion industry. Everyone wears clothes, so surely, there would be a market for this. So when I followed my husband to South Africa for his work, I met up with some t-shirt suppliers from South Africa. They told me about a Kenyan producer who uses beautiful fabrics and takes care in their production. Finding a producer who knows what quality looks like is like finding gold! I took them on as my supplier, and so, One Colour as a clothing brand started. The first collection ‘Looking Beyond’ was launched in 2009.

I was a naive starter. I didn’t understand how complex and challenging the fashion industry was. Running a clothing brand is costly, and till today, I’ve been in the process of selling the remaining stock. Best intentions can often not create what you want.

However, in late 2010, something happened which opened a new path for One Colour. I was doing a Christmas market in Brisbane when a lady stopped by the stall. She saw that the scarves I sold were made in Nakaru, Kenya. The lady started telling me about Kenana Knitters that was based close by at Njoro, Kenya as well, and how they have started this wonderful enterprise to empower women through knitting soft toys.

So in 2011, I visited Kenya again to meet Patricia Nightingale, founder of the grassroots organisation since 1998. It so happened that the Kenana Knitters were looking for a new Australian distributor. What a serendipitous event! Paddy’s a great judge of character, and she picked One Colour to be her distributor. Africa had picked me!

By about 2013, I got a handle on distribution, did trade fairs, and now Australia makes up about 50% of the sales of Kenana Knitters’ products globally. The growth has been phenomenal. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.

You know about the lady I met at the Christmas market? Turns out she’s Paddy’s cousin. What a small world! Paddy is an amazing local white Kenyan. Mad keen knitter. 20 years ago, she said, ‘Let’s make something! We’ve got wool. There’s a few of us.’ And so, she started Kenana Knitters with two others. They now have around 600 women involved. 28 of them are on full-time employment managing quality, rostering, supplies, distribution, office management and of course, knitting! The remaining ladies are casual knitters who fit into the family-like environment. Many of them have children. Some even bring their babies to work. They sit on the lawn and knit.

Through Kenana Knitters, the women have been able to generate income and educate their children. The whole community has been transformed. The thing is, Kenana Knitters is fully self-sustaining. They are not a NGO, and don’t ask for donations. Kenyans run Kenana Knitters. This is their country, their society, and they know best how to transform their community. I feel I’m helping them to stay viable by creating a market opportunity to sell their products here.

I will always remember Mary who sadly died 2 years ago from HIV. Mary worked for Kenana Knitters for 5 years before her death, and all through those years, the organisation helped her with her medical treatment. When she first arrived, she was a starving mum with a sick newborn. They cared for her and her baby back to health. Mary was quiet-spoken, and always grateful. Through her employment, Mary was able to buy land and provide an inheritance for her children. Even today, everyone remembers Mary, leaving her knitting spot vacant as a respectful tribute. I featured Mary’s story a few years back on Mother’s Day, and it touched many of my readers. When I met Mary, I thanked her for allowing me to share her story, and to my astonishment, she hugged me and thanked me back. I still recall her tall, elegant figure (she was a Turkana woman), modestly dressed, such a beauty. How humble and extraordinary she was! In our society today, we applaud those who stand out but forget those who are quiet and humble. I have such immense respect for Mary as a mother. The sacrifices she made in her life for her family keeps me focused on ways I can keep bringing the Kenana Knitters products to our customers here.

The lady in the photo with me is Milka. She dances and sings while working at Kenana Knitters. Milka has an amazing energy. She suffered from terrible varicose veins and could not work, walk or dance. She was in a diabolical situation with no money for an operation, and no means to earn money. Kenana Knitters decided to fund her operation. I donated some money myself. There is a hospital nearby where specialists from the US come periodically and a vein specialist was one of them.

Milka lifts everyone’s mood whenever she’s with the knitters, and I can only imagine the amazing time that was had when she returned, fully recovered. The singing and dancing would have been phenomenal! Milka’s smile and charisma is a powerful tonic to me, too.

I feel privileged to be part of such a great group. Me, I’m a caretaker doing as much as I can, but as more people catch the vision, it will grow and keep on going.

My advice for those embarking on the business route? Always do your research. Talk to as many people as you can who have gone before you. Energy can get you a long way, but some good advice can save you a lot of trouble.

Late nights, early mornings, long stretches of time spent focused on each stage; one would almost think I was actually participating in the Tour de France. However, I am a couch watcher, drinking tea and knitting during the most tense, hectic, painful, exciting times, or all these mixed in together.

My muscles ache (not enough exercise), my mind goes jelly-like after long periods (too much telly), my body shakes with adrenaline, a mixture of fear, exertion and exhilaration (when watching the effect of these athletes). It's as if I was part of the race. But truthfully, I would never have been good enough (not having a love of cycling I'm sure one would need) or the discipline to deny myself to be the best I could be.

So I look forward to the high drama of this sporting spectacle: an amazing race of men, their machines and the mountains (and valleys) of France.

I also love the scenery. I miss Phil Liggett and Paul Sherman, though.

This is Purity. She works at the Kenana Knitters in Kenya. I love her hair, her head band, the way she wears the colourful wrap in the chilly weather. Her beauty is so evident. But I think she is rather amused at having her photo taken, yet again.

Many of the women at Kenana Knitters have their photos taken repeatedly. People come to visit and want their own memory of the ladies, and so the ladies very kindly smile as they work to earn the living that will change their lives and the lives of their families.

I wonder how we would go if random strangers wandered through our work places and took photos of us as we worked so that they could show them to others and so talk about their experiences of visiting our place of work. I have immense respect for the patient forbearance of these wonderful, wonderful women.

A world wide wave, the Fashion Revolution, swept across the globe last week. Did you hear about it? Did you wonder who makes your clothes? Did you ask a brand you like to wear where you clothes come from? (see footnote)

I have a feeling this journal post will have more questions than answers, or at least more wonderings than advice or information, most likely due to the fact that I don't find huge amounts of clarity when it comes to understanding the impact of fashion, fast or otherwise.

On the one hand, fashion employs so many people from farmers to fabric suppliers, to garment workers to wholesalers, to retailers. It is just a massive movement of materials across the world, with people handling them at different stages. Who am I to demand these people stop how they are doing things so that I can feel better about it?

On the other hand, this same industry creates problems, too. Problems in unsafe work conditions, low wages, fantastic skills being wasted when a garment is made so quickly, so cheaply only to be worn and thrown away. So my one glaring problem is over production. Why do we produce so many garments? Why don't we value to skills of the garment workers to the extent that we want them to work for more money, make fewer garments - to truly be valued as amazing sewers of clothing and accessories? But getting back to over-production.

I know the challenges minimum quantities pose to designers...my roof cavity is loaded with plastic tubs of past collections because, although I was producing as sustainably as possible, I didn't find a big enough market for my ranges. So, even though my quantities were tiny compared to most brands, I still over-produced for my market. To be honest, there is sadness for me when I know that what we created is well designed, well made and reasonably priced, yet this is not enough to make it viable and so to keep designing and producing. I guess we only need so many clothes (yet another conundrum of sustainability in fashion).

No wonder brands resort to land fill or second hand clothing bins to off load excess clothing. By using these methods of removal it immediately eliminates signs of over-production or failure to reach the market, or any number of other reasons why a style just does not work. And the window for the range or the style to work is getting smaller and smaller. Once upon a time we had at least 6 months to sell the range (spring/summer or autumn/winter). Now it's all mixed up with short runs, mini collections, trans-seasonal options and one-offs that are made to order. And then there is fast fashion on top of it all.

Which brings me to the conundrum of sustainability in fashion.

I know for sure, because I feel it in myself, that there is often a disconnect between what we believe (our values, principles, ideals) and how we live. Not for everyone, of course, as I know there are people who live with little compromise, however, I think they are the exception rather than the rule. Most of us will justify just about anything if we really want something badly enough.

Clothes aren’t going to change the world. The women who wear them will - Anne Klein

This is sounding a bit dark and angsty. But it does bother me. I have an uncomfortable feeling that things are not right yet there still isn't the will in most of us to make the necessary changes to begin to make it right. Even Fashion Revolution is a one-week-a-year focus (for which I am exceedingly grateful) but what happens when it's over? Do we continue forward looking for change or do we slip back into our comfy stance? I know which one I want to do and which one I am most likely to do, too.

My big questions are: how can fashion be sustainable if we keep producing vast amounts of it (even if it is sustainable in some way - organic fabric - fair wages - better working conditions - recycled fabrics)?

And: how can sustainable brands remain viable without going down the path of over-production to keep costs down? The hard reality is that the more you make the cheaper it is to produce.

Oh, dear, I think my journalling is starting to unravel. Time to pause, to bring to a close my ramble on this topic.

One thing is certain; there are no guarantees and no perfect fixes in this world. We will work to see our ideas come to life, hoping against hope sometimes, that we can live with less impact and clothe our bodies more sustainably.

And, thank goodness for Nelson Mandela.

Footnote: - a huge thank you to the many who shopped online with One Colour and the other brands who work towards sustainability in fashion, during Fashion Revolution Week.

Impossible to pass up, for me at least, was my recent purchase of "The book of Uninspiring Quotes to complement your empty shell of an existence" by Sunny Leunig.

When browsing through the books at Dymocks, this one caught my attention:

Imagination allows you to envisage the type of success you will never have.

I hope you don't think I am being particularly negative or flippant because I do draw great inspiration from wise words and uplifting quotes from influential or ordinary people past and present. It's just that the focus the wise quotes draw us to may actually be distracting us from the things we really should be paying attention to. I find that the really good quotes can even make us feel inadequate, shallow or past it. We then have to regroup, breath deeply and have another go...in my case it's often about sticking to my plan to clean out the kitchen cupboards, or vacuum under the stairs where the dust and pet fur is 2 inches thick. If I did those things I am pretty darn sure I would feel as if I had really achieved something, rather than the usual state which is thinking about doing these good deeds but never actually making the time to do them.

Another that tickled my funny bone was:

Today is the day for Positive Change. Tomorrow is the day to default back to your inevitable disappointing self.

It's hard not to see the truth in this twisted sister of a quote. Good intentions abound. What's that other quote, not in the book; "We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intent". Yes, we are past masters and mistresses at fooling ourselves into believing good psycho-babble, when it suits us. Well, I know I am.

And finally, to round out this journal with a truly inspirational, uninspiring quote:

The best things in life are sadly out of your financial reach. (cue two gorgeous people lying in the sun on a yacht that is floating on impossibly blue water)

The bitter truth of this little wordster is that we often chase after those things that others say we must have (via ads, family, facebook, instagram, even respected friends or mentors). The trick with it is, in my opinion, to be thankful, then get busy.

So, my motto for the year, at least for the next few weeks, if I'm really honest, is to "work less and do more". I want to be less bogged down with work/stuff/what could go wrong and be more into breathing right/looking up/smiling more/cleaning those cupboards and vacuuming under the stairs.

And, there are plenty more quotes to be found between the covers of "The Book of Uninspiring Quotes to complement your empty shell of an existence" by Sunny Leunig. www.affirmpress.com.au.

Just because this TV show (Northern Exposure) was made in the 1990s doesn't mean it's not a sound action to repeat watch it nearly 20 years later.

In 1990, when the show's harmonica theme song was first heard, I was living in Sydney. At that stage I think I managed to catch almost all the episodes between 1990-1993, then I moved to the Hunter Valley and, with the new living location and job, I didn't watch that many of the later episodes. By the time the show had its final series in 1995, I was married and pregnant, so definitely not in the zone for watching the series, although at that time I do remember watching quite a lot of Pride & Prejudice (the 1995 BBC production).

Northern Exposure still has a fascination for me, though. I love the quirky harmony of the imaginary town of Cicely, Alaska. The townsfolk, some of whom are so apparently opposed in lifestyle or belief, are still able to accept each other and live side by side. In that idyllic world there is little judgement, much respect and a wonderful fitting in with the rhythms of the seasons. The most recent episode I watched was "First Snow", all about the coming of winter, wishing each other "Bon Hiver", loading up on carbs to ward off the freezing temps to come and celebrating just what it takes to survive in such a remote location. I know life in Cicely it isn't real or even feasible but I still love the feeling I get when escaping for an hour or so into the lives of these characters.

So it seems good to begin my 2017 journal with a message straight from Northern Exposure. The message is spoken by Marilyn Whirlwind, one of the permanent characters on the show. I can't really say that the story Marilyn tells is based on truth (almost all internet references to this story are from the show), but it's a good story anyway.

Photo by AnsonLu/iStock / Getty Images

The Eagle wasn’t always the Eagle. The Eagle, before he became the Eagle, was Yucatangee, the Talker.

Yucatangee talked and talked. It talked so much it heard only itself. Not the river, not the wind, not even the Wolf. The Raven came and said “The Wolf is hungry. If you stop talking, you’ll hear him. The wind too. And when you hear the wind, you’ll fly.”

So he stopped talking. And became its nature, the Eagle. The Eagle soared, and its flight said all it needed to say.

My take away from this is, if I hear my voice speaking I will know I'm not listening. And when I hear the wind and the river and the wolf (or birds, or laughter, or bees) I will know I am.

This year, and every year, I want the way I live to say all that needs saying, even if a few words leak out from time to time. By the way, these journal posts don't count as words or not listening, because I don't really know if anyone reads them!

John Donne was writing in the (his) present and yet his insight and words are no less true today, in our present.

The bell tolls for all of us, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. This is a big kind of reflection.

For me, it's the inter-connectedness in the meaning of these words that toll for me. How can we be so connected (mankind together on a big rock called earth, in a solar system, in a galaxy, in a universe) and yet make decisions based on being somehow separate and a part from each other? Decisions made here or there rippling across oceans and continents affecting the lives of others who didn't make those decisions in the first place.

We might think we are different, through our colour, creed, belief, birth location but if John Donne is on the money, that thought isn't true in the big sense, just in the little, keep me safe, I must be special, sense.

If we keep trying to break our inter-connectedness then we will start to believe we are not connected at all. That would bring mankind to a sad, sad place...an island, maybe. I might think I'd like to be on that island but really it's no place I want to be, not really, not permanently.

The bright star, the beauty of this passage, is that always in every age everyone is involved with everyone else, we just don't remember it.

John Donne reminds me.

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee" - John Donne (1572-1631) in Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII

Is this why floral tributes become such symbols for people even when they don't know the person or people who have gone?

And the inter-connectedness becomes evident in such laying down of flowers and messages for those we will never know.

While looking around for a humourous, inspiring quote for a friend, I found I was inspired humourously myself with this, from Frank Zappa.

If you end up with a boring, miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.- Frank Zappa

A little about...

Nothing is new under the sun, especially not the idea of sharing thoughts and ideas. So, what you’ll find here are some observances and reflections from an earth dweller and the founder of One Colour.

One Colour is worn, owned or given with purpose - embracing the broken, the beautiful, the sustainable and the confronting in life.

Our core mission is to provide on-going employment for our partners in Africa. We want to see an end to extreme poverty.